The invention relates to a process for controlling a production and packaging system for cigarettes, or similar products, comprising production units such as a cigarette (cigarette) manufacturing machine (maker), packaging machine (packer), film wrapping machine (when appropriate), bundle packaging machine (multipacker) (when appropriate), and carton packer (cartoner) (when appropriate) for the production of productsxe2x80x94cigarettesxe2x80x94in a certain, limited quantityxe2x80x94desired quantityxe2x80x94and packaging them ready for shipping. The invention also relates to an apparatus for executing this process.
The production of cigarettes (or cigarillos) increasingly requires quick, cost-effective adaptation to different products. These differences may relate to the quality of the cigarettes, or different brands, designs etc. It is often the case that only certain quantities of a type or brand or design are to be produced.
Up until now, the production and packaging system has only been adapted approximately to the number of (cigarette) packs which are to be produced, with a safe margin of excess production. It is often the case that this excess quantity cannot be sold and must ultimately be destroyed.
The object of the invention is to control the, in particular, entire production and packaging system for cigarettes such that limited quantitiesxe2x80x94desired quantitiesxe2x80x94can be produced without the production being associated with overly excessive production.
In order to achieve this object, a first process according to the invention consists of the following features:
a) the quantity of completely or partially finished productsxe2x80x94e.g. cigarettes and/or cigarette packsxe2x80x94present in the production process or packaging process is measured, along with the products located in stores, on a permanent or cyclical basis and compared with the desired quantity to be produced, on one hand, and with the actual quantity already produced.
b) when a critical actual quantity is reached, which together with the products presently in the production or packaging process results in the desired quantity to be produced, the successive production units are run down one after the other, emptied and finally switched off, with any stores also being emptied in such a way that the desired quantity has been produced by the time the production and packaging system comes to a standstill.
Monitoring of the stores for cigarettes and cigarette packs as well as of the other production units of the line is carried out by known elements, such as sensors, tactile members, counters etc., so that the current production level can be determined at practically any time, thus making it then possible to take further measures.
Alternatively, the problem can be solved by the invention in that it is possible to have the material required for the desired quantity, in particular packaging material, made available on the basis of the desired quantity to be produced and by taking into account the productive capacity of the individual production units, the rate of rejects known from experience, as well as by accounting for current faulty production in each production unit.
The production sequence of the entire production and packaging system is evaluated by a common central computer and displayed on a screen monitor connected thereto.
A further special feature of the process according to the invention is that before the desired quantity of productsxe2x80x94cigarettes/cigarette packsxe2x80x94is reached, the material present at each production unit, in particular packaging material, is checked with respect to its subsequent usability for the next type of product and displayed on a screen.
According to the invention, the desired quantity to be produced can be based on a product-specific setting, or, alternatively, on the present stock of a certain material, such as revenue labels for cigarette packs. The desired quantity can then be equal to the number of revenue labels on hand.